Education System in Congo, Republic of the

After 6 years of primary school students sit the Secondary School Entry Test

Middle

College

7–10

12–16

4

(First 4 grades of the secondary school) At the end of grade 10 students have to take GCSE examination

Secondary

Lycée

11–13

16–19

3

There are three kinds of lycées in the country: Agricultural, Technical and General Lycées. The Agricultural lycée welcomes students interested in agriculture. At technical lycée, students are provided with skills on technological field, including mechanics, engineering and architecture, among others. All other students go to the General Lycée.
Degree/certificate awarded: Senior School Higher Certificate

Tertiary

Bachelor's

3

Licence. Congolese higher education was born under the colonial administration with the establishment of a basic structure between 1958 and 1960 for a higher education system throughout French Central Africa (Afrique Centrale Francaise, AEF). 1958 saw the creation of the Institute for Advanced Studies, followed in 1959 by the Center for Advanced Administrative and Technical Studies (Centre d’Etudes Administratives et Techniques Superieures, CEATS). The latter comprised a literary major, a scientific major, and a training school for high school teachers. 1960 marked the creation of the Central African Foundation for Higher Education (Fondation de l’Enseignement Supérieur en Afrique Centrale, FESAC). Part of this network was the Higher Education Center in Brazzaville (Centre d’Enseignement Supérieur de Brazzaville, CESB), comprised of the Law School, the Advanced School of Science, the Advanced School of Humanities, and the Medico-social Department.

Tertiary

Master's

1

Maîtrise

Tertiary

Diploma of Advanced Studies

1

Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies/DEA

Tertiary

Doctorate

3–6

Primary Education

The Republic of the Congo has been in a constitutional crisis for decades, and its education system has not been unaffected. What follows here is a blend of what used to be and what is hoped for in the future, as opposed to a blow-by-blow account of the current situation. Primary schooling, for which children enroll for from age 5.5 onwards, lasts 6 years. These are divided into 3 equal phases, namely preparatory, elementary and medium. At the conclusion of the medium phase, learners must pass a secondary school test before they may study further.

Middle Education

Secondary education takes a further 7 years, of which the first 4 are spent at college following a standard academic curriculum, whereafter students sit for their general certificate of secondary education.

Secondary Education

The final 3 years of school education take place at lycées. While the general certificate of education is sufficient for going on to general lycées, agricultural and technical ones apply special tests. The curriculums at technical lycées include choices between architecture, engineering and mechanics.

Vocational Education

The economy in the Republic of the Congo is in a shambles, with many factories destroyed and child soldiers walking streets in search of anything to do. What job-related training does take place is informal, and employer specific too. International aid agencies are trying to assist.

Tertiary Education

Tertiary education institutions include the Christian Polytechnic & Professional Institute of Arts, the Institute of Business & Economic Development, the Mondongo Higher Institute of Agricultural Sciences, and Marien Ngouabi University.

The latter was founded in 1971 as the University of Brazzaville, and re-named a few years later after an assassinated president. In its heyday it produced a wide variety of graduates. Its current status is uncertain.